Combination condiment and toothpick holder and dispenser



Jan. 1, 1952 couc o-r 2,580,521

COMBINATION CONDIMENT AND TOOTHPICK HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 5, 1949 b [(24 /7 ln'm'ntor Orz/zlle 1. 60116%: 71 f y 4 A llorney Patented Jan. 1, 1952 COMBINATION CONDIMENT AND TOOTH- PICK HOLDER AND DISPENSER Orville F. Couchot, nenma, Fla.

Application August 5, 1949, Serial No. 108,808

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a novel salt and pepper holder and dispenser and toothpick container and dispenser primarily intended for table use and which may be conveniently utilized for dispensing either salt or pepper and for holding tcothpicksso that they may be conveniently removed therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for the aforedescribed purpose having a novel closure for yieldably engaging and ciosing an opening in the dispensing cap of either the salt or pepper shaken.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the I following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the condiment and toothpick holder and dispenser;

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the condiment and toothpick holder and dispenser in its entirety is designated generally 5 and includes a body, designated generally 6 which may be formed of any suitable material which is relatively light in weight including glass or plastic or a lightweight metal. The body 6 is provided with a bottom surface 1 on which it is adapted to rest and has a portion 8 which extends upwardly to substantially above the level of another side portion or section 9 thereof. The portion 8 is provided with spaced relatively deep recesses Ill and II which open outwardly of the top surface l2 of said portion 8. Said body portion 8 is provided with integral annular upstanding flanges l3 which rise from the top surface thereof and which form extensions of the recesses l0 and l I. Said annular flanges I3 are externally threaded for receiving a movable closure cap ll each of which is provided with a central dispensing opening [5. One of the recesses, for example the recess I0, is adapted to contain salt and the other recess I I is adapted to contain pepper. Said recesses I 0 and II can be filled by removing the closure caps l4 therefrom after which the closure caps are re-applied to the threaded flanges 13.

The body portion .9 is recessed to provide a relatively large chamber it which is open at its top and which is adapted to contain toothpicks and the outer wall ll thereof is provided intermediate of its ends with a cutout or opening Hi. The end walls of the chamber l6 are provided with upstanding aligned lugs I9 which are disposed near to but spaced from the body portion 8. The open top of the chamber I6 is closed by a cover 20 having notches 2! opening outwardly at the ends thereof for loosely receiving the lugs 19. The intermediate portion of the outer edge of the cover 20 is provided with a bevelled under surface 22, as seen in Figure 3.

The body portion 8 is provided intermediate or its ends and adjacent the body portion 9 with a bore 23 which opens outwardly of its top surface I2 and which extends downwardly therefrom and which opens at its lower end into a recess 24 in the bottom surface 1.. Another, shorter bore 25, formed in the body portion '8, extends between said recess 24 and the chamber IS.

A contractile coiled spring 26 extends through the bore 23, through a portion of the recess 24, through the opening 25 and has one end disposed in the toothpick chamber l6 and which is fastened to a depending apertured ear 21 of the cover 20. The other end of the spring 26 which terminates. adjacent the upper end of the bore 23 is fastened to an eye 28 which depends from a closure, designated generally 29. The closure 29 comprises a bar including a substantially straight end 30, an intermediate portion 3| which is disposed at an obtuse angle to said portion 30 and an opposite shorter end 32 which is disposed at an obtuse angle to the intermediate bar portion 3|. The eye 28 depends from said end 32 and the terminal of the bar end 32 is adapted to rest on the top surface I! which forms a fulcrum for the closure 29. The outer end of the bar portion 30 is provided with an integral depending projection 33 which is shaped and sized to removably engage and close either of the dispensing openings 15. Said bar portion 30 is also provided with an upstanding projection forming a finger grip 34.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the spring 25 functions to retain the closure 29 and also the closure 20 yieldably in closed positions. To remove a toothpick from the toothpick chamber It. in which the toothpicks are disposed in horizontal positions, the thumb and index finger may be inserted through the opening or cutout l8 with the index finger disposed above the thumb for grasping a toothpick and the nail of the finger is pressed against the bevelled edge 22 so that as the toothpick is removed upwardly the closure 20 can be swung upwardly and with its inner longitudinal edge pivoting against the wall 35 of the body portion 8. After the toothpick has been removed, the spring 26 will return the closure 20 to its closed position as illustrated in Figure 3. The walls of the chamber [6 are disposed in upwardly diverging relationship so that the toothpicks, not shown, contained therein may be more readily removed individually without striking the end walls of the chamber Hi.

It will be readily apparent that the closure 29 may close the dispensing opening [5 of either cap I4 so that either salt or pepper may be dispensed from the holder 5 by inverting it and shaking the contents from either the recess ID or the recess H the opening 15 of whose cap I! is exposed. The closure 30 may be moved from its position of Figure 2 in which it closes the recess Hi to a, position for closing the cap of the recess l I by lifting upwardly on the finger grip 34 for disengaging the projection 33 from the 'cap opening [5 and for causing the closure 39 to fulcrum by engagement of the outer end of its portion 32 with the top surface l2 of the body and against the action of the spring 26. The closure 29 may then be swung on said end to position the projection 33 over the opening 15' of the other cap i4 and the pressure of the spring 26 will urge said closure to swing downwardly for engaging the projection 33 in said last mentioned opening l5 to thereby expose the cap opening of the recess l0 and close the cap opening of the recess II.

The opposite side of the body portion 8 is preferably recessed as seen at 36 and the corners thereof, remote to the toothpick chamber l6- are preferably bevelled, as seen at 31 to reduce the weight of the holder 5.

Variousmodifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

L A condiment and toothpick holder comprising a body having upwardly opening recesses adapted to contain salt and pepper, removable caps for normally closing the open tops of said recesses and each provided with a dispensing opening, said body having an upwardly opening toothpick receiving recess terminating below the level of the open tops of said salt and pepper containing recesses, a closure swingably and detachably mounted on said body for closing the toothpick receiving recess, a closure member fulcrumed on said body for selectively closing the dispensing openings of either of said caps, said body having communicating passages, and. a contractile spring disposed in said passages and fastened at one end to the toothpick recess closure and at its opposite end to said cap closure for yieldably retaining the closures in closed positions.

2. A holder as in claim 1, said toothpick recess having an outer wall provided with an opening adapted to receive the thumb and finger for engaging a toothpick and for extracting it from the toothpick recess when the closure thereof is swung upwardly.

3. A condiment holder having an externally threaded upper end, a cap threadedly engaging and removably mounted on said upper end, said cap being provided with a dispensing opening, a closure having a projection depending from one end thereof for engaging and closing said dispensing opening, said closure having a downwardly offset opposite end bearing loosely upon and fulcruming on a portion of the holder, a contractile coiled spring disposed in the holder and having one end secured to said closure adjacent the last mentioned end thereof for yieldably urging the closure downwardly for holding said projection in engagement with the opening. said closure being adapted to be manually engaged and swung upwardly on said downwardly REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

v UNITED STATES PATENTS Num er Name Date 994,943 Luchsinger' June 13, 1911 1,743,293 Toft Jan. 14, 1930 

